May 31 11 Must Eat Food in Ipoh, Malaysia

What do you do when you are in Ipoh? Yes, you EAT! Eating is probably the best activity to do in Ipoh. Cafes and restaurants are within short proximity in the city and you could literally eat one meal after another. I was actually surprised to explore so many good food in Ipoh but given the limited time spent there, we only managed to squeeze in 11 delicious food to savour in Ipoh (and I wished we had more!). This list could make up a good foodie trip for a day or two!

I stayed at Cititel Express Hotel where its location is very central and strategic. Do not expect anything fancy from this business hotel as it is simple yet practical, decent for a night or two.

Before you read on, here is a short video of a recap of what we have eaten during our food trip in Ipoh! Enjoy watching but don't get too hungry!

Now, let's go for the details!

1. Yee Fatt Dry Curry Noodles 怡发茶室

Address: 39, Jalan Kampar, 31650, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia

Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday 7.30AM - 3PM (closed on Monday)

Yee Fatt is famous for its dry curry noodles. The curry sauce here that goes with the noodles is comparatively thicker than others and boasts a stronger flavour as well.

I enjoyed their 'chee cheong fun' very much. The 'cheong fun' is smooth and silky, gives you a sweet savoury taste when mixed in the mushroom sauce.

Herbal tea egg would be something delightful to start off your day at breakfast. Many people may question the combination of herbal tea and hard boiled egg but surprisingly it tasted good! The fragrant from the herbs and with the right amount of sweetness, I would say this is the best bet for a nice and warm breakfast drink.

2. Nasi Ganja @ Yong Suan coffee shop

Nasi.....what?! Chill my friends, there is no illegal substance used in the cooking. Its catchy nickname was given by the locals to describe this 'nasi kandar ayam merah' selling in Yong Suan coffee shop. They say the rice is so delicious that it could be as addictive as 'ganja' (aka cannabis or marijuana).

It was a scotching day when we explored the beautiful concubine lane and nearby heritage streets for some awesome photographs (check out my IG: cheryllam and FB page: cheryllamlam for the lovely shots taken!). While we were sweating buckets, we were hoping to find something that could cool us down. We walked pass Thean Chun coffee shop, and saw 2 caramel custards on its signboard and thought, this could be it. We went in and ordered one caramel custard to share (we were actually still full from the meals before).

The caramel custard did not disappoint at all. It was soft, smooth, silky, and most importantly, cold! Perfect to have it when you are steaming under the hot sun!

4. Cowan Street Tauge (bean sprout) Chicken & Hor Fun 高温街芽菜鸡沙河粉

If you ask Ipoh-ians where to have good bean sprout chicken, the answer is not the commonly heard 'Lou Wong' or 'Onn Kee'. To them, those are too touristy and the locals prefer their tauge chicken at either Cowan Street or Bentong. I didn't manage to visit the latter during this trip but I will make sure that I do the next time I visit Ipoh. So I went to the former, which is Cowan Street Tauge Chicken and I believe this place is already not new to many of you.

Cowan Street Tauge Chicken has gained its fame rapidly over the years and has probably been blogged to death. Nevertheless, I would still like to share my opinion and experience in this restaurant.

5. Restaurant Xin Quan Fang 新泉芳咖喱面茶餐室

Look no more if you are looking for the best curry noodles in Ipoh! OK, to be honest I have not tried enough curry noodles in Ipoh to judge and compare but I truly believe this is definitely one of the best, partly due to the endless praising I got from my Ipoh friends and simply because the curry noodles in XQF was sooooooo good!

6. Hung Kee Confectionary 鸿记饼家

Hung Kee egg tart is one of the most popular egg tart experts in Ipoh and is operated in a coffee shop called Weng Seng. The saga between Choy Kee vs Hung Kee is never ending. Due to limited time, we managed to catch Hong Kee this trip and decided to leave Choy Kee for the next.

7. Pak Kong Chicken Rice 白宫鸡饭

Hands down the best place for chicken rice in town, albeit the queue at certain times. I was recommended by my Ipoh friend to try out this place and I must say that is one of the best recommendations ever. I enjoyed my meal from starting till the end.

8. Funny Mountain Tau Fu Fah & Soy Bean Milk 奇峰豆腐花

Address: 49, Jalan Theatre, 30300, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia

Opening hours: Monday to Sunday 10.30AM - 6PM

No Ipoh trip is complete without a bowl of extremely silky-smooth tau fu fah (beancurd pudding) from Funny Mountain. Seriously, this is by far the BEST beancurd pudding that I have ever tasted. We ordered the soy bean milk with cincau as well but I personally feel the tau fu fah stole the limelight. With its overwhelming fame, it is expected to be swarmed with visitors. But fret not, its drive-through service is quick and efficient which I really like about it. Their staff would approach your car to take your order and then send you the items. You don't have to get off the car at all, how convenient!

9. Yik Sun Hakka Mee 益生客家面 & Egg Tart King 蛋挞王

Address: 4, Jalan Panglima, 31650, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia

Opening hours: Monday to Sunday 7AM - 1.30PM

*I am not sure if it opens for dinner though I read some information online saying that it does. However, we tried to go over for dinner on one of the days but it was not open so I'd suggest you to call ahead to confirm the opening times*

Contact number: +6 012 521 2389

Fancy the idea of having some springy hakka noodles with a bowl of hearty beef soup, and finish your meal with delicious Portuguese egg tart? This is the place to go!

10. Restaurant SYW

Address: 63, Jalan Mustapha al-Bakri, 30000, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia

Opening hours: Monday to Sunday 11AM - 8PM

Contact number: +6 05 241 3771

A well-known Roast Duck specialist in Ipoh! Restaurant SYW is the latest branch of the famous "Sun Yeong Wai" which adopts a modern concept and contemporary design in the outlet. Being unable to decide between their signature roast duck and pi-pa duck, we ordered quarter of each to try out and compare. Personally I prefer the pi-pa duck for its fragrant and crispier skin. The roast duck is good as well with its flavourful taste and aroma. Side dishes which we sampled together were 'chai boey' and stir-fried bitter gourd.

11. Aun Kheng Lim salted chicken

I got to emphasize that this photo does not do justice to the yummy chicken at all!

What is the best way to conclude your Ipoh getaway? Tapao Ipoh's famous salt baked chicken! I have tried others but I still come back to Aun Kheng Lim as none was able to beat this time-honoured champ. So I recommend you to look for no others other than Aun Kheng Lim for your salted chicken fix.